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Congress hits bottom: Only 10 percent approve

That thud you just heard was the sound of Congress hitting an all-time low approval rating – again.

Gallup said Thursday that a mere 10 percent of Americans think members of Congress are doing a good job – the same approval rating from February of this year, which was the lowest in Gallup’s history.

And their disdain for Capitol Hill is one thing that Democrats, Republicans and independent voters can agree on. Low approval marks for Congress were consistent among party affiliation – with Democrats giving a 9 percent rating, Republicans 10 percent and independents 11 percent.

“It is difficult to pinpoint precise causes for these extraordinarily negative views, although the continuing poor economy is certainly a major factor,” pollster Frank Newport wrote in the analysis. “The fact that control of Congress is now divided, with a Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, may provide an opportunity for Americans of all political persuasions to dislike some aspect of Congress.”

The 112th Congress has consistently registered low approval ratings, according to Gallup. The highest mark came in May 2011, when 24 percent of Americans gave a thumbs-up to Congress.

Other surveys during this Congress have shown even worse numbers. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in October found that Congress earned a 9 percent public approval rating.

Tuesday’s poll surveyed 1,012 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.